Fires can wreak significant damage in many ways, including the lives of people and their property. Workplace fires can have devastating consequences including shutting down a business, causing employees to lose their jobs and hurting communities all the same time. It is vital to maintain a safe workplace is a concerns fire prevention and training.
Through proper training, fire hazards can be eliminated as well as responded to in an efficient and fast manner if a conflagration does begin. Training can help employees respond quickly to emergencies and quell potential disaster.
Recognizing Fire Hazards
One of the key steps in fire prevention is to recognize the different types of fire hazards that exist. All fires begin at a source of ignition. This occurs when heat contacts fuel combined with oxygen. The key part of preventing a fire is to keep separate the fuel and potential sources of ignition.
Performing a Fire Safety Risk Assessment
A fire safety risk assessment can help employers identify what needs to be done in a particular workspace to prevent fires from occurring and to keep people safe when they do occur. An assessment may look at:
- An emergency fire evacuation plan
- Firefighting equipment in the facility
- Available emergency routes and exits
- Special needs of vulnerable individuals during a fire emergency
- The removal or secure storage of dangerous substances
- Implementation of fire detection and warning systems
- Fire safety training of employees
- Communication with employees and others on the property
Use of Extinguishers
Many workplaces have portable fire extinguishers on their premises. However, it is important understand the capabilities of fire extinguishers and how much fire a particular are extinguisher can handle. Certain fire such as electric or grease fires may not be quenched with particular fire extinguishers.
The employer and employees in any given workplace are responsible for preventing fires from occurring and that workplace. The results of not implementing proper fire safety in the workplace can be disastrous both in terms of human life, finances, and property loss.
